Beena Unnikrishnan
Beena Unnikrishnan
Beena Unnikrishnan is an Artpreneur, a high-profile professional, artist, and serial entrepreneur in India. Beena brings extensive experience of 28 years in diversified multi-functional arts and industries. An ardent believer in the economic empowerment and financial independence of all artists, craftspeople, and rural artisans, her successful career is testimony to the synergies that can be unleashed between art and commerce.
She envisions fostering a culturally vibrant nation through accredited growth of Art and bringing financial freedom to all artists. She has curated her drive into a robust national campaign supported by art veterans and industry stalwarts, launched by none other than Union Cabinet Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari.
Under the aegis of the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, this project for economically independent artists will develop Art & Craft-based industries across rural-urban artistic clusters, creating 1000 women-owned enterprises. Training and support programs will be conducted in 700 districts of India to create a million entrepreneurial opportunities for women artists by December 2022.
She is also the recipient of the prestigious Senior Fellowship Award from the Government of India, Ministry of Culture, for her thesis on âApplication of Cognitive Dynamics to Art in Alzheimerâs and Dementia Patientsâ. Her paintings are based on her research in art therapy, acknowledged as a powerful medium of holistic healing.
With an elaborate portfolio as an artist, which includes the series âChausat (64) Yoginisâ, a set of 64 paintings celebrating the power of Shakti, now set to be part of a noted museum in India, and the Nakshatra series, a set of 30 paintings on cosmic constellations, her exhibitions showcasing her artworks are held globally and are often completely sold out.
Upholding the credo of âFilms for All,â she is the founder and CEO of Iris Green Films, a film production company that focuses on films addressing social concerns and proactively engaging with society to catalyze social transformation. A visionary businesswoman, she is engaged in global trade across different continents.
She is a consultant for the Sakthi Ferro Group in Chennai, a conglomerate in steel manufacturing. She has developed steel trading in Venezuela to set up scrap yards and companies catering to growing Indian demands.
Beena is on the advisory board of US Metals GmbH in Germany and Aum Metals Dubai, developing business within South America, Europe, and Asia. She is Executive Director at Aakash, a pioneer in bio-energy production relying on âenvironment-friendly nature sourcesâ like bamboo plants.
Headquartered in Singapore, Aakash caters to alternative energy requirements globally, establishing renewable energy generation units and promoting socio-economic development in emerging green energy markets internationally. She is working on projects from bamboo to artifacts as livelihoods for women and leading their womenâs entrepreneurship program.
Beena is part of Wellhomes, developing living spaces that embrace energy and sleep to improve physical and mental health. She is working on infusing art and architecture to create healing spaces that will uplift and spiritually energize.
Their first project, creating premier urban wellness living spaces strategically located in Dubai, will set a trend for healthy living. She is also a business consultant for various companies, developing business in India, UAE, Peru, Germany, Venezuela, Spain, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Poland. A passionate community leader, she is also the founder of the non-profit Srishty, which provides skill development, training, design exposure, and capacity building for arts and craftspeople from various domains, especially in rural hinterlands.